Endoscopic pancreatic sphincterotomy and stenting for preoperative prophylaxis of pancreatic fistula after distal pancreatectomy.

Background: Pancreatic fistula (PF) is the most common postoperative complication after distal pancreatectomy (DP). Endoscopic pancreatic sphincterotomy and drainage have been shown to be an effective treatment for PF. Recently, preoperative endoscopic pancreatic stenting was proposed to prevent PF, but there are no controlled trials so far.